Makes 1 standard bundt cake.

- 1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
- 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (60g) dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) salt
- 4 eggs, separated, and room temperature
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water (warm)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

Butter and flour (I use cocoa powder for this process when baking chocolate cake) the entire inside surface of a 10-12 cup (2.5L) bundt or you can use an angel food pan. Just a note that typically, you wouldn’t grease the pan for a chiffon cake, but this recipe comes from the book Baking with Julia, and greasing the pan is directed. They refer to this cake base as a bundt cake, for which you would grease the pan, but all other elements of this recipe are typical of chiffon cake. If you feel you may lose sleep over greasing a pan for a chiffon cake, please go ahead and give it a whirl ungreased with a chiffon cake pan with removable bottom.

Sift 1 cup (200g) of the sugar, flour, cocoa  powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, water, and vanilla until blended. Gradually whisk in all of the dry ingredients until combined and smooth. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and a mixer bowl wiped clean with lemon juice, whip the 6 egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) of the sugar to the foamy egg whites, and continue to whip on medium speed until the meringue reaches stiff peaks, and is glossy and thick.

Gently fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the chocolate mixture with a silicone spatula, then gently fold in the remaining meringue until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until top bounces back when gently touched (approximately 35-40 minutes), cake begins to shrink from sides of pan, and skewer comes clean when inserted. Be sure to not over-bake. Let cake cool in pan on cooling rack for 25 minutes before gently inverting onto wire rack.

(Source: sweetapolita.com)

The first of my very own recipes, these cupcakes are perfect for any honey lovers out there. (Apologies for not converting the measurements, I haven’t got time right now but I will convert them later).

Chocolate Cupcakes:

- 150g caster sugar
- 50g butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 150ml whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extact
- 150g plain flour, sifted
- 40g cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and prepare your cupcake tray. This recipe makes around 12-15 cupcakes.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mix well.

In a separate jug measure out the whole milk and add the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl then measure out the flour and cocoa powder. Add half the flour mix and beat until well combined. Then add half the milk mix and beat until combined. Keep doing this until all the flour and milk have been added. Add the baking powder and beat for a few minutes, be careful not to over mix.

Fill the cases to about 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled ice with honey buttercream.

Honey Buttercream:

- 250g icing sugar
- 80g butter, at room temperature
- 25ml whole milk
- 80g honey
- Yellow food colouring (optional)

Beat the icing sugar, butter and milk together in a bowl until there are no lumps. Add the honey and mix well. If you want your icing to have a bright yellow colour, add a few drops of yellow food colouring to taste and mix well.

(Source: misspeachycakes)

- An Oreo or chocolate wafer cookie pie crust
- Peanut butter ice cream
- Dark cocoa chocolate fudge topping

To make the crust:

Combine 1 1/4 cups Oreo or dark wafer cookie crumbs with 1/4 cup melted butter. Press into 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes until set. Let cool on wire rack.

To make the ice cream:

1. In a food processor, combine 2 2/3 cups heavy cream (33% milk fat), 3/4 cup of smooth peanut butter (I used Kraft brand), 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and half a can of sweetened condensed milk. Blend together until smooth and incorporated.

2. Power chill the mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes! Careful not to freeze it!

3. Pour into ice cream maker and churn according to ice cream maker’s instructions. I found this churned for a much shorter time period than my usual ice creams - check on it after 15 minutes, mine took about 16 to get to a very ice creamy consistency!

4. Pour peanut butter ice cream into the cooled pie shell, spreading with an offset spatula to create an even layer! Place in freezer while you make the…

To make fudge sauce:

On stovetop in a small pot, combine 1/3 cup of dark or high quality cocoa powder with 2/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup of heavy cream, and 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk gently to combine. Add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, whisk until smooth. Pour into bowl to cool. I power-chilled my fudge sauce in the freezer for 20 minutes!

Once fudge sauce is cooled, pour on top of peanut butter ice cream layer. Again, it’s important to cool the fudge sauce first, otherwise it will melt all up into your P&B ice cream layer.

Place back in freezer and chill for 1 hour uncovered until fudge sauce is set. Then wrap with plastic wrap and chill until completely set - 4 hours or overnight!

(Source: cococakeicecream.blogspot.com)

- 375g flour
- 55g hazelnut flour
- 10g baking powder
- 8g baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 10g salt
- 110g pumpkin puree
- 60g whole milk, room temperature
- 40g sour cream, room temperature
- 100g sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 60g butter, melted

- Canola oil, for frying

- 400g sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 50g hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and finely chopped

In a large bowl mix together the flour, hazelnut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin, milk, sour cream, sugar, eggs and melted butter. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and fold until it comes together. Don’t worry if it’s lumpy.

Dust your work surface with a bit of flour and dump the dough on it. Knead lightly until it comes together. Dust the top lightly with flour and roll to 1/2” thick. Using a doughnut cutter or two round cookie cutters, cut out the doughnuts and place them on a sheet pan with a silicon mat or parchment and dusted with some flour.

To fry the doughnuts, fill a pan up to 2” of canola oil. Heat the oil until it reaches 375F. Do not over-crowd the pan with doughnuts. Fry about 5 at a time (depending on the size of the pan). They will sink to the bottom but then float to the top. Turn them over and let them cook for an additional 2 minutes or so.

Drain them on paper towels and while hot, coat them with the cinnamon-hazelnut sugar.

(Source: cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com)